During a lengthy exchange of views with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, MEPs on the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committee (IMCO) were able to express their expectations of the Digital Markets Act, and in particular its implementation over the coming months.
Although the Commission has recently opened a number of investigations (see EUROPE 13378/8) and has shown a certain speed in implementing its new regulations, a number of elected representatives have expressed concern at the prospect of a ‘trough’ period in the run-up to the European elections.
“We know that gatekeepers are often more sensitive to the balance of power than to sanctions - in this case, how can they maintain constant pressure during the forthcoming campaign? The period of renewal is likely to be favourable to companies”, explained Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Renew Europe, French).
Similar concerns were expressed by her colleague Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Danish), who asked the Commissioner about the possibility of “new legislation” during the next mandate.
While Margrethe Vestager does not rule out the possibility of introducing additional tools in the future, she prefers to concentrate her efforts on the legislation already in place.
“Our legislation is very good, we have covered a lot of ground and we need to make full use of it”, she insisted.
The DMA, like the DSA, which focuses on digital services, is primarily a deterrent, according to the Commissioner. At this stage, “the lack of compliance by gatekeepers is a matter of deliberate choice”, she insisted to MEPs, who wanted details of the extent to which the major platforms were complying with the rules.
For the vast majority of MEPs present at the exchange, the introduction of the DMA is a European victory that has ensured “that digital markets become markets again”, in the words of Andreas Schwab (EPP, German). Provided, however, that the Commission continues to ensure that the major platforms comply properly. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)